WATERBURY, Conn. - The LIU Post volleyball team finished up the Post University Invitational with a sweep on Day Two over Southern Conn. State (3-1) and Bloomfield (3-0) on Sunday afternoon.

LIU Post 3, Southern Conn. State 1 (25-23, 25-17, 21-25, 25-21)
The opening set was the closest of the four, as the two sides were knotted at 23-all before back-to-back Owls (6-1) attack errors gave the Pioneers the first set win.  Over the length of the set, both sides traded runs of comparable lengths to stay neck and neck.

The Pioneers jumped ahead two sets to none with a convincing 25-17 victory in the second set.  With the game tied at 6-6, the green and gold set out on a 5-1 run to pull away from the Owls and would never look back as a kill by freshman middle hitter Asiya Way (Denver, Colo.) off a set by sophomore Kassie Akouri-Tejedor (North Miami Beach, Fla.) sealed the win.

After SCSU took set three by a score of 25-21, the Pioneers followed with a 25-21 victory of their own in the fourth and final set.  Three of the first four LIU Post points came via a Way/Akouri-Tejedor hookup helping the green and gold jump out to a 6-1 lead. After the Owls clawed their way back into the set taking their first lead of the set at 12-11, the Pioneers rattled off four straight points courtesy of kills by senior outside hitter Danielle Valenza (Hauppauge, N.Y.) and Way, along with the two teaming up for a huge block.

The game would once again be knotted at 16-all before LIU Post enjoyed a five-point run that would seal the deal on the match.  Valenza secured the win knocking down the final kill off a feed from junior setter Gulia Genna (Rome, Italy).

Junior outside hitter Rachel Londot (Utica, Ohio) (12 kills, 10 digs, five blocks) and Way (10 kills, five blcoks) led the way for the green and gold.  Sophomore defensive specialist Allie Ahearne had a standout performance with four service aces.  Akouri-Tejedor and senior libero Indira Rojas (Coamo, Puerto Rico) were solid on the back row, scooping up 22 and 19 digs, respectively, while Akouri-Tejedor added a team-high 22 assists for a double-double.

LIU Post 3, Bloomfield 0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-19)
The Pioneers proved to be too much for the Bears in game two of the day as they overwhelmed them in straight sets.  The first set began with consecutive kills by sophomore outside hitter Shannon Sahli (Orange, Calif.) to kick off a 5-1 run. After the Bears tied the game up at both five- and six-all, they eventually took the lead at 11-10.  Shortly later, LIU Post retook the lead and pulled away (19-13) thanks to two kills each by Akouri-Tejedor and Sahli, and one each from Valenza and junior defensive specialist Navah Evans (Oakland, Calif.).  The final deciding point came via a service ace off the hand of Valenza.

With the Pioneers holding a 7-5 advantage in the second set, the green and gold went off for 12-straight points (19-5) to put the set out of reach. During that span, Way knocked down four kills, while Londot added two and freshman defensive specialist Allie Lackner (Albuqurque, N.M.) registered two service aces.  With the scoreboard reading 22-10, kills by Akouri-Tejedor, sophomore right side Cara Kennedy (Mineola, N.Y.), and sophomore middle hitter Lea Brady (Woodbridge, Va.) smashed three straight kills to  secure the 25-10 win.

The score was tied at 16 in the third and final set until the green and gold took a 8-2 run pulling them ahead to 22-17. They would never look back as Kennedy and Akouri-Tejedor teamed up for the final point grabbing the 25-19 win.

Sahli led the way with seven kills and seven digs, while Akouri-Tejedor and Lackner also recorded seven digs. Akouri-Tejedor also tossed up a game-high 26 assists.